I can never forget the first baptism I celebrated. I was a transitional deacon assigned to a parish in the Archdiocese of Boston (I attended Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts). The little baby girl who presented for baptism was of Southeast Asian descent and precious to behold. I was so nervous about celebrating the sacrament and unsure of myself that I asked my pastor supervisor to stand next to me in the event I did not do something correctly.
Jubilee 2025 began on Christmas Eve 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s in Rome, and will conclude on January 6, 2026, when that door of the Vatican basilica is closed. The theme of this holy year is Peregrinantes in Spem (Pilgrims in Hope), and, like every other such celebration since Pope Boniface VIII inaugurated the practice of holy years in 1300, Jubilee 2025 is intended to intensify our experience of God’s grace — the divine life — at work within and around us.
The Jubilee Year 2025 represents a significant moment of grace, renewal, and spiritual opportunity for Catholics worldwide. Rooted in the biblical tradition of jubilee as a time of restoration and liberation, this holy year calls all believers to a deeper encounter with God and their neighbor. With the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” Pope Francis invites the faithful to rediscover the transformative power of God’s mercy and to live out their faith in acts of charity, justice, and solidarity.
While the Vatican has acknowledged the “abundant spiritual fruits” experienced by people visiting and praying at the site of reported Marian apparitions at Medjugorje, it has yet to sign off on their authenticity. Still, local devotees regularly visit this small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they believe that Mary, Mother of Jesus, has regularly appeared to a half-dozen “visionaries” since they were children in 1981. They said she identified herself as “The Queen of Peace.”
With his appointment as new archbishop of Washington Jan. 6, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy’s term in the nation’s capital will begin shortly after President-elect Donald Trump begins his second stint in the White House, possibly creating flashpoints between the pair during their time in the nation’s capital over immigration and a host of other issues.
More than half a million pilgrims crossed the threshold of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the first two weeks after Pope Francis opened it.
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego has been appointed the next archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, following Pope Francis’ acceptance of the resignation of Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the first African American cardinal, the Vatican announced Jan. 6.
I was recently saddened to learn that the kind man who has been teaching me Spanish is an agnostic. This past year, I have talked about many personal topics with him in my nascent Spanish — my priesthood and discipleship in Jesus Christ, my strong support of the pro-life movement, and my passion for upholding
the culture of life in my preaching and life as a priest; the passing in October of my brother, Dr. Joseph Panicali, from pancreatic cancer at age 65 — and all manner of topics religious, spiritual, and cultural.
A change of presidential administrations typically leads to changes in U.S. diplomatic personnel abroad, especially at the ambassadorial level. This, in turn, leads to speculations, some of them zany, about the post of U.S. ambassador to the Holy See (typically mislabeled as “U.S. ambassador to the Vatican”). Herewith, then, are some clarifications and demystifications about this position.
Reflecting on the “horrendous” state of Haiti, Michele Guerrier said the Haitian Independence Day Mass at St. Jerome Church was a powerful show of solidarity to her homeland from the Diocese of Brooklyn.
